Howard Emerson, Crossing Crystal Lake

I have not yet had the opportunity to see Howard Emerson in concert (hence my limited photographic offerings), but I have found his music very soothing, even inspirational. He started playing guitar at the age of 12, in 1963, learned fingerpicking while cutting class from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, and has been inspired by such greats as The Ventures, Ry Cooder and Lowell George ("Little Feat"). Around 1974, he started touring with Eric Andersen, and has played in a band called Topper, which became Billy Joel's touring and recording band.

His first solo recording, "Crossing Crystal Lake" is a wonderful demonstration of his excellent fingerpicking style. Although he is a singer/songwriter, he chose to make this initial CD an instrumental-only item. This collection of his songs needs no vocals; it is pure and clean, sometimes downright fun. But don't take my word for it... have a listen to some of the tunes I selected for this page:

**(Note: The MP3 files are larger (longer download) but are higher quality than the Real Audio files)**
Crossing Crystal Lake	MP3	RealAudio
Dust Mop	MP3	RealAudio
Keep Walkin'	MP3	RealAudio

Contact information:
To order the CD, send $15 (US) to: Howard Emerson P.O. Box 226 Huntington Station, NY 11746 e-mail: hmemerson@aol.com		Telephone: (516) 427-4156 Questions about tunings, guitars, techniques, and especially about acoustic amplification (a specialty of Howard's) are all welcome. Howard loves to share his knowledge.

"A delightful collection of wonderfully inventive guitar pieces - a jewel of an album." - Peter Yarrow - Peter, Paul and Mary

"Howard Emerson has the touch we all strive for." - Jimmy Vivino - guitarist and arranger on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"

"His recent release has a warm, expressive fingerstyle that pays homage to the best acoustic guitar players of the last few generations, yet his compositions have their own distinct voice and character. A rare acoustic treat." - John Pousette-Dart - Guitarist, Singer/Songwriter

"Crossing Crystal Lake is an instrumental CD of rare grace and beauty. At once, lyrical and rhythmic, the technical prowess never supersedes the song. Melodies reign king here and echo in the ear of the listener lucky enough to have found this wonderful record. Howard Emerson's music is an oasis for the hype-weary ear and substance longing heart. Good show!" - John William Berenzy - Guitarist, Singer/Songwriter

"Howard, your CD sounds better and better with each listening. If that's not a true test of its worth, I don't know what is. Good work!" - Kim Oler - Pianist, Composer, and winner of the 1998 Richard Rodgers Development Award

"Emerson's moving lines, spot-on intonation, and superb sense of time take center stage in this recording. These instruments are captured with extraordinary warmth, without a trace of the brittle harshness that plagues many modern solo acoustic albums... Never hurrying a passage, Emerson plays with the unruffled confidence of one whose heart and fingers are totally in sync with his vibrating strings." - Andy Ellis - Guitar Player Magazine, September 1998